Michigan

That online romance may be a scam, BBB warns before Valentine's Day

The Better Business Bureau of West Michigan held a news conference to warn consumers about online romances on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018.Jim Harger | Mlive Media Group

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - On the day before Valentine's Day, the Better Business Bureau in West Michigan joined dozens of similar agencies around the U.S. to warn about online romances that are fraudulent.

At any one time, 25,000 scam artists are online with their victims, warned Phil Catlett, president of the local BBB bureau in a news conference on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Half a million persons on online dating sites may be using fake IDs, he said.

In most cases, the women are posing as attractive femme fatales while the men are posing as earnest soldiers or veterans who have hit a rough spot. In fact, they are after your money, Catlett said.

The victims are often lonely people who have idealized romantic love affairs, said Catlett. The scammers are usually in West African countries such as Nigeria. There also are groups that operate in Russia and the Ukraine.

Although online romance scams are common, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said there's little they can do when the scams are reported because the scammers tend to live in foreign countries.

Nonetheless, Becker said they encourage victims to step forward and report the scam. "Your piece may be the missing piece for our office or the U.S. Attorney's office," he said.

More commonly, Becker said they get reports from family members who worry about the person who has moved in with an elderly parent or relative and taken control of their finances.

Beth Swagman, a Grand Rapids lawyer who specializes in elder law, said too many victims don't report it when they are taken advantage by an online scam. In some cases, the victims fear their children will conclude they are no longer competent and take steps to limit their independence, she said.

Meanwhile, scammers encourage their victims to keep their relationships a secret from family members, Swagman said. "The use of secrets really bind the scammer to the victim."

Nancy Kropiewnicki, an elder abuse coordinator with Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan, said scammers also will read obituaries and pose as long-lost friends or Army buddies to surviving family members.

Here are some of the warning signs of online romance scams:

There is no "typical" victim. They can be male or female, young or old, straight or gay. The common denominator is that they are seeking a loving relationship, and they believe they have found it.

Scammers often portray themselves as U.S. military members. Military officials say they receive thousands of complaints yearly from scam victims around the world. Officials note military members will never need money for leave or health care.

The majority of romance fraud has its home in West Africa, particularly Nigeria. There also are groups that operate in Russia and the Ukraine that employ online dating sites to defraud victims.

At any one time, there may be 25,000 scammers online working with victims. A company that screens profiles for dating companies told BBB that 500,000 of the 3.5 million profiles it scans monthly are fake.